Match: 19th June

Match report Dedham v Great Bromley 19th June 2008 at Great Bromley Dedham (170 - 5) beat Great Bromley (118-8) by 52 runs An exceptional undefeated innings of 108 by Cameron Rule dominated the return fixture with Great Bromley, and led Dedham to their 4th victory in a row. Hitting the ball cleanly and finding the gaps with unerring accuracy, Cameron’s innings will be remembered by all those who were there to see it, none more so than his team mates and his father Duncan who had a prime view from umpire. On a day more akin to summer than we have been used to, Angus won the toss and elected to bat. Opening the innings with Archie, the captain got off to a good start, but after glancing a boundary to fine leg, he was bowled half forward by one that kept low with the score on 14. Cameron entered the fray in the 4th over and was immediately caught and bowled, but off a no ball, which was to prove to be a costly error. He soon got into his stride, driving confidently on both sides of the wicket, and with some good running between the wickets with Archie, took the score to 25 before Archie was bowled by an excellent yorker. Ieuan then joined Cameron and again looked in confident touch before being unfortunately run out due to a breakdown in communication leaving the score on 48-3. With much work still to be done Oliver Williams (21) came in at number 5 and did not depart until he and Cameron had taken the score to over 150 in the 18th over. After a slow and uncertain start Oliver grew in confidence, striking the ball well, especially to leg, and the experience of batting with Cameron will have been invaluable to him, especially on the running between the wickets where sometimes he gave the impression of running through treacle! Cameron was then joined by Ed Greenwood, after Oliver was caught at mid off, and sensibly he concentrated on giving Cameron as much of the strike as possible and ensuring that Cameron reached his hundred, which he did with a trademark drive through extra cover. Together these two batsmen saw Dedham to 173 for 5 at the end of the 20 overs, with Ed selflessly run out off the final ball. After a break for tea Michael Wright took the new ball, and immediately bowled the opener with a fast and full delivery that took middle stump. As with previous games this early wicket gave Dedham fielders great heart and they responded with some more excellent work in the field, especially in the covers. Archie shared the new ball, and after starting with a wide, and being driven through point and midwicket, he corrected his line and bowled Bromley’s key batsman, Oliver Wright. After a period of consolidation Angus decided to change the pace of the attack by introducing Anjay and Sean into the attack, and this paid immediate dividends with Anjay winning an LBW decision first ball, being hit for 3 x 4s, and then bowling the batsman with the final delivery of his first over. Anjay was also later to take his third wicket helped in no small part to Ed Greenwood who effected a rapid stumping to cap his good work behind the stumps. Sean once again looked good in his approach to the crease despite bowling a touch too wide, and after conceding a four to midwicket was supported by good work in the field from Ieuan who chased a seemingly lost cause and saved 2 runs down to 3rd man. Bromley’s reply then became 53-6 after Angus Campbell, having induced a leading edge which Angus Lockhart just failed to reach, had the number 6 batsman caught next ball with the captain accepting an easier chance. Angus Campbell bowled very well on his first start of the season, charging down the hill at a very good pace. Obviously all his work at the start of the season and in the off season has paid off handsomely. Another debutant bowler, Christopher Head joined the attack and immediately took his first wicket, caught and bowled which was well deserved due to his enthusiasm during all of the training sessions in the spring. Dedham then rather took their foot off the pedal when faced by a left hand/right hand combination, and the score went from 79-7 off 13 to 116-7 in the 19th over. The captain seemingly tried every possible combination to break the partnership with plenty of near misses such as a top edge off Angus and Sean nearly inducing the batsman to play on. Anjay returned and when he was off target he was treated savagely by Hill, the left handed batsman who batted and ran between the wickets well, and it took some tidy bowling by Angus to keep the scoring rate under control, albeit that it never threatened to take the game away from Dedham. In the final over Angus Campbell took his second wicket, again with the help of a very good catch by the captain and the match was over with Dedham winning by 52 runs. For the first time Dedham had a formidable total to defend, and this was almost their undoing as the general fielding was a touch below the high standards set previously. However the energy levels remained as high as ever, led by Ed behind the timbers, and Angus once again rotated his bowlers and fielders to a very high standard. The abiding memory of the whole day remained Cameron’s wonderful innings and the wholehearted support he received from the rest of the team who hopefully will have noticed just how well he set about building his innings with patience in waiting for the bad ball. Well done once again to everyone, and our thanks to all the parents who came to support, especially Jason and Martin for scoring, and Duncan for umpiring. Felix Fitch

 

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